Some Atlanta leaders want to start charging you to drive into the city (bankruptcy, property tax)

[MattCW]

If the City of Atlanta starts charging me to come into the city, then I guarantee you, I will spend a LOT less money in there. So not only will they lose out on the money they'd get from me coming in, they'll lose out on the money I would have spent. I am far from alone on this.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by MattCW

If the City of Atlanta starts charging me to come into the city, then I guarantee you, I will spend a LOT less money in there. So not only will they lose out on the money they'd get from me coming in, they'll lose out on the money I would have spent. I am far from alone on this.

There will be people like you. But there will be just as many if not more that will take your place.

People that care more about avoiding traffic (value their time) more than a toll will come into Atlanta more. Also, for people that avoided living in Atlanta because of the higher taxes will reconsider, and they will spend way more living in the city than those that live outside and occasionally drive in to shop.

The cities that have done fees like this continue to thrive.

[blktoptrvl]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Not a bad idea. But what about people that neither live, work, or shop in Atlanta but still drive through / across it?

I would think that nobody drives on the street level when driving through Atlanta. They would normally be using federally paid for interstates and/or state highways.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by blktoptrvl

I would think that nobody drives on the street level when driving through Atlanta. They would normally be using federally paid for interstates and/or state highways.

If you are going west from Decatur to somewhere like Smyrna, what interstate do you reasonably expect them to take?

People take a lot of surface streets during rush hour. Just sit and watch the license plates on a city street in Atlanta. "Fulton" plates are in the the minority.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by jsvh

If you are going west from Decatur to somewhere like Smyrna, what interstate do you reasonably expect them to take?

People take a lot of surface streets during rush hour. Just sit and watch the license plates on a city street in Atlanta. "Fulton" plates are in the the minority.

So. you want them to help pay for roads that they dare to use, and they should charge Atlanta residents for roads they use. In the end, it equals out and everyone is just paying everyone else the same amount.

[DaBurgh]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Yes.

The will also have to pay for their food, water, and rent among many other things. Roads should be no different.

Ah. Looks like I wont be coming down to do any more volunteer work

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by DaBurgh

Ah. Looks like I wont be coming down to do any more volunteer work

I wonder how the schoolteachers are going to get to class? And the police and firemen? Our city planners, bus drivers and trash collectors? The secretaries for the big law firms, the restaurant workers, the water system folks and the construction workers?

[David1502]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Yes, we should totally be collecting tolls on all those people driving through GA to go to Florida. They likely are still paying for gas in GA so it is not quite as lopsided as someone driving across the city everyday, but gas taxes are not paying near enough of the share of the road and the state is picking up the remainder.

Plus people that fill up before entering GA and people with alternative fuel / electric vehicles are not paying for the gas tax.

Florida knows this and has the turnpike.

Directly charging people for using the road is just more fair and a better way to get funding. No worrying about what share of property taxes / sales tax / gas tax someone is or is not paying is really proportional to how much they are actually using the road.

The main challenge is that current federal law prevents adding tolls to existing interstate freeways. However, the Trump administration is making serious noise about removing that restriction.


Also, Atlanta would be far from the first city to consider a charge / toll like this. It has been successful elsewhere and the cities and business thrive just as much if not more than ever. This would not be some experimental idea Atlanta would be the first to try.

I have a hard time believing that there are that many drivers who drive the 354 miles of I-75 through GA without stopping at least once to buy gas (There aren't that many Prius's on the road)- In fact Florida's gas prices may be higher than GA gas prices. Also, a good portion of these drivers are seniors or families with kids - I have a hard time seeing either one of these groups being able to make that long a trip without making several stops (No one's bladder is that good!) and usually if you stop, you spend money.


The biggest example of toll roads is Orlando and everyone - even Orange County residents is required to pay them. Having a toll to apply to only non-residents is unique.

[DaBurgh]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I wonder how the schoolteachers are going to get to class? And the police and firemen? Our city planners, bus drivers and trash collectors? The secretaries for the big law firms, the restaurant workers, the water system folks and the construction workers?

[architect77]

We don't get any maintenance now.

I have begged Public Works to smooth/repave Piedmont Ave up to Ansley.

The only new green signs with street names are the 30 or so I sent multiple requests to be replaced from Midtown to Lenox.

Raw Materials and bull dozers are stolen from Public Works which doesn't even keep inventory of what was purchased.

The city of Atlanta has at least $300-400 million (Reed left $180 million reserve + all of the taxes from new development), yet the only spending I've seen is the D.C. firm charging $1600 an hour that was reduced to a mere $800 an hour to investigate issues at City Hall.


What will it take to get these people motivated to do anything about our disintegrating pavement?

The whole idea is preposterous, and the state should be the entity ensuring the metro area's mobility is treated as one and no one city is placed with an undue burden.


GDOT hasn't done anything to the signs on Ponce, which is ground zero for one of the most vaunted hot areas.


So little desire for excellence here.